Hugh Pemberton
@hugh-pemberton.bsky.social
Recent British history is my thing (political, governmental, economic); armchair strategic studies my secret vice. Emeritus Prof at Bristol. Sometime historian of the UK civil service, more recently of Thatcherism. But often on my allotment these days
Striking that a little-reported UK story makes the Washington Post's lead editorial this morning - the breakdown of UK-US intelligence sharing (a fundamental pillar of the "special relationship") due to UK issues with US extra-judicial killings in the Caribbean
November 12, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Striking that a little-reported UK story makes the Washington Post's lead editorial this morning - the breakdown of UK-US intelligence sharing (a fundamental pillar of the "special relationship") due to UK issues with US extra-judicial killings in the Caribbean
Oof. Chris Giles on Laffer et al: "a curious mixture of ... voodoo policies more extreme than those discredited by the 1980s Reagan administration and multiple examples of the bankruptcy of ideas that led the Conservative government to be defeated in the 2024 general election" on.ft.com/3J8FRHN
October 26, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Oof. Chris Giles on Laffer et al: "a curious mixture of ... voodoo policies more extreme than those discredited by the 1980s Reagan administration and multiple examples of the bankruptcy of ideas that led the Conservative government to be defeated in the 2024 general election" on.ft.com/3J8FRHN
Excellent Stephen Bush piece on why Robert Jenrick would be a disastrous Conservative leader, and why his racism is bad for the whole country
ep.ft.com/permalink/em...
ep.ft.com/permalink/em...
October 8, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Excellent Stephen Bush piece on why Robert Jenrick would be a disastrous Conservative leader, and why his racism is bad for the whole country
ep.ft.com/permalink/em...
ep.ft.com/permalink/em...
This piece from @peterhyman.bsky.social is very good on why political parties need to focus less on crafting policy-based sound bites and press releases and more on making the argument for change
open.substack.com/pub/peterhym...
open.substack.com/pub/peterhym...
October 7, 2025 at 10:27 AM
This piece from @peterhyman.bsky.social is very good on why political parties need to focus less on crafting policy-based sound bites and press releases and more on making the argument for change
open.substack.com/pub/peterhym...
open.substack.com/pub/peterhym...
It's hard to look at the rows of empty seats greeting Conservative "big hitters" addressing an unprecedentedly small conference hall and think the chances of Conservative survival as a major political force are anything but somewhere between low and zero
October 6, 2025 at 9:12 PM
It's hard to look at the rows of empty seats greeting Conservative "big hitters" addressing an unprecedentedly small conference hall and think the chances of Conservative survival as a major political force are anything but somewhere between low and zero
This is a fascinating graph from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com , and it explains a lot about why immigration politics are the way they are in multiple countries
September 27, 2025 at 2:56 PM
This is a fascinating graph from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com , and it explains a lot about why immigration politics are the way they are in multiple countries
Brilliant Private Eye cover this week
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
March 5, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Brilliant Private Eye cover this week
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
This is the most depressing graph I've seen in a while - young Americans are spending a lot more time on activities they see as unfulfilling, and a lot less time on the stuff that really makes life worthwhile. Is this just a US problem, or is it more general?
on.ft.com/4alCXIC via @FT
on.ft.com/4alCXIC via @FT
January 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
This is the most depressing graph I've seen in a while - young Americans are spending a lot more time on activities they see as unfulfilling, and a lot less time on the stuff that really makes life worthwhile. Is this just a US problem, or is it more general?
on.ft.com/4alCXIC via @FT
on.ft.com/4alCXIC via @FT
Yes, this certainly looks like an authentic grassroots protest with no links at all to paid lobbyists
January 17, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Yes, this certainly looks like an authentic grassroots protest with no links at all to paid lobbyists
Alexa, define "slow news day"
January 4, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Alexa, define "slow news day"
Excellent letter in the FT about British farmers and IHT. No other business owner has the tax privileges extended to farmers, many of them are barely profitable, and it's not clear why we should subsidise failing businesses when others might run them better
December 7, 2024 at 11:14 AM
Excellent letter in the FT about British farmers and IHT. No other business owner has the tax privileges extended to farmers, many of them are barely profitable, and it's not clear why we should subsidise failing businesses when others might run them better
I don't know if Simon Case wore this suit to the office but it doesn't exactly signal "down with tepid bath of decline conservatism"
December 5, 2024 at 8:02 PM
I don't know if Simon Case wore this suit to the office but it doesn't exactly signal "down with tepid bath of decline conservatism"
Blimey, 20-car trains - GWR taking a novel approach to engineering, weather, staff-shortage chaos this afternoon
November 24, 2024 at 4:12 PM
Blimey, 20-car trains - GWR taking a novel approach to engineering, weather, staff-shortage chaos this afternoon
The $6.2 million banana duct-taped to a wall has a distinct 2007 Damian Hurst diamond-encrusted-skull-followed-by-Great-Financial-Crisis feel to it
November 24, 2024 at 3:19 PM
The $6.2 million banana duct-taped to a wall has a distinct 2007 Damian Hurst diamond-encrusted-skull-followed-by-Great-Financial-Crisis feel to it
Observer journalists were livid when the paper was swallowed up by The Guardian in 1993, and sued. Now they're livid they're going to be an independent newspaper again, under Tortoise Media, and are going on strike in protest. There's no pleasing some people
www.theguardian.com/media/2024/n...
www.theguardian.com/media/2024/n...
November 23, 2024 at 2:13 PM
Observer journalists were livid when the paper was swallowed up by The Guardian in 1993, and sued. Now they're livid they're going to be an independent newspaper again, under Tortoise Media, and are going on strike in protest. There's no pleasing some people
www.theguardian.com/media/2024/n...
www.theguardian.com/media/2024/n...
@philipstephens.bsky.social is right, British politicians need to grasp - and awaken voters to - the new reality: the country faces a major military threat that it is ill-prepared for.
Britain’s national security demands more than a defence review - on.ft.com/3V3Dw3q via @FT
Britain’s national security demands more than a defence review - on.ft.com/3V3Dw3q via @FT
November 23, 2024 at 12:28 PM
@philipstephens.bsky.social is right, British politicians need to grasp - and awaken voters to - the new reality: the country faces a major military threat that it is ill-prepared for.
Britain’s national security demands more than a defence review - on.ft.com/3V3Dw3q via @FT
Britain’s national security demands more than a defence review - on.ft.com/3V3Dw3q via @FT
From Private Eye
November 20, 2024 at 12:50 PM
From Private Eye
Why it's never a good idea to forget Downs on the political significance of the median voter in party politics:
Trump broke the Democrats’ thermostat - on.ft.com/40KKDBt | @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social
Trump broke the Democrats’ thermostat - on.ft.com/40KKDBt | @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social
November 16, 2024 at 12:06 PM
Why it's never a good idea to forget Downs on the political significance of the median voter in party politics:
Trump broke the Democrats’ thermostat - on.ft.com/40KKDBt | @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social
Trump broke the Democrats’ thermostat - on.ft.com/40KKDBt | @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social
"The West’s strategy for Ukraine is no longer failing. It has clearly failed."
open.substack.com/pub/mickryan...
open.substack.com/pub/mickryan...
November 11, 2024 at 11:33 AM
"The West’s strategy for Ukraine is no longer failing. It has clearly failed."
open.substack.com/pub/mickryan...
open.substack.com/pub/mickryan...
The Wikipedia entry on Petiot seems to have suffered a bizarre malfunction...
September 29, 2024 at 3:48 PM
The Wikipedia entry on Petiot seems to have suffered a bizarre malfunction...
Some good advice for those who aspire to lead the Conservative party, from Tim Leunig in today's FT on.ft.com/4dTTCnd
August 23, 2024 at 10:55 AM
Some good advice for those who aspire to lead the Conservative party, from Tim Leunig in today's FT on.ft.com/4dTTCnd
Slightly stunned reading Inside Politics just now to find quite how much byline Bush differs from reality Bush! @stephenkb.bsky.social
February 1, 2024 at 6:14 PM
Slightly stunned reading Inside Politics just now to find quite how much byline Bush differs from reality Bush! @stephenkb.bsky.social
Four so-called "resets" since the summer yet support for the Conservatives (21%) now approaching the depth reached under Truss. The jaw of death is opening
November 16, 2023 at 12:06 PM
Four so-called "resets" since the summer yet support for the Conservatives (21%) now approaching the depth reached under Truss. The jaw of death is opening
Since late summer we've had two government resets and a claimed hemorrhage of progressive support from Labour over Starmer's Gaza stance. So how far has the party's support fallen after all that?
November 9, 2023 at 2:22 PM
Since late summer we've had two government resets and a claimed hemorrhage of progressive support from Labour over Starmer's Gaza stance. So how far has the party's support fallen after all that?